Our Revolution Asheville is joining forces with Indivisible Asheville/WNC and other Asheville organizations to hold a rally on Saturday, February 25, at Pack Square in downtown Asheville in support of the Affordable Care Act. Citizens nationwide will be rallying simultaneously on this date for the same cause. Senators Burr (R-NC) and Tillis (R-NC) and Congressmen Meadows (11th District) and McHenry (10th District) have been invited to attend the Asheville event to explain why they approve of repealing the Affordable Care Act before an adequate replacement plan is in place.

“There have been a flurry of actions in the area, which is great, but with recess ending this week, we want to be sure that they can’t hide beneath the silence,” said Our Revolution Asheville founder, Matt Coffay.

“Burr, Tillis, Meadows, and McHenry need to be held accountable for not doing their job, which is to respond to the voices of constituents and hold a town hall while they’re on break during recess. They have blatantly ignored this all week, and we refuse to back down.”

The Our Revolution Asheville chapter is focusing on reenergizing the NC Democratic Party, starting at the precinct level. Precincts are the smallest organizational unit, but also the place from which all power in the party originates. Most precinct meetings in Buncombe County occur Saturday morning, and the organization is urging citizens in and around Asheville to participate. Turnout for precinct elections is anticipated to be at a record high. Our Revolution Asheville is framing the combination of Saturday’s events–precinct meetings and the ACA rally–as a ‘day of action’ for local activists.

“So many groups have sprung up focusing on different aspects of protecting our democracy, but we all share a common vision, which is why we’ve partnered with Our Revolution for this event,” said Indivisible Asheville/WNC founding member, Brenda Murphree. “We truly are stronger together.”

What: Rally in support of the Affordable Care Act

When: Saturday, February 25, 2017, 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.

Where: Pack Square, Downtown Asheville, NC

Who: Our Revolution Asheville, Indivisible Asheville/WNC, other local organizations, and all citizens who want to hold our local members of Congress accountable for their actions ### About Our Revolution Asheville Our Revolution Asheville is the local chapter of the national Our Revolution organization that is working to transform the Democratic Party—starting at the grassroots level—into a party that represents the working people of America. For more information about Our Revolution Asheville, visit their Facebook page or their website. For more information about the February 25 rally, please visit the Facebook event page or contact Matt Coffay at matt@ourrevolutionavl.com.

About Indivisible Asheville/WNC Indivisible Asheville/WNC was formed in November, 2016 to protect our core democratic values through informed community action in Western North Carolina, while operating outside of any party affiliation in its grassroots work. Through 14 issue-based Action Teams, hundreds of concerned citizens in our community are working together to research issues, share information, and mobilize others around the shared concerns of racial justice, a free press, voting rights, religious freedom, women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, and much more, working with our representatives in Washington and Raleigh to reclaim liberty and justice for all.

The Asheville nonprofit Food Connection is partnering with Wicked Weed Brewing and its Cultura restaurant, the YMCA of Western North Carolina, and Red Wing Enterprises for the event aimed at helping service industry workers.

One of the biggest immediate impacts has been the release of about 200 people from the Buncombe County jail, a long-sought after goal by some local officials who want to convert the county jail from a holding pen for low-level, nonviolent, poor suspects to a lockup reserved for serious offenders.